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If you happen to love the appear and feel of long-haired cats, you’ve many breeds to select from. Though the ultra-long, fluffy coats seen in Persians, Siberians, and comparable long-haired breeds require day by day grooming and brushing, the silky, semi-long coats seen in breeds like Balinese and Oriental Longhairs are much less prone to tangle and wish minimal maintenance.
Let’s meet 14 long-haired cat breeds with lovely, lengthy coats.
#1 Balinese
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The Balinese is actually a long-haired Siamese. The breed was developed in the US within the Nineteen Fifties, utilizing long-haired Siamese kittens that popped up litters of short-haired Siamese. One of many breed founders named these elegant, long-haired cats after the sleek Balinese dancers from Indonesia. Balinese are loving, affectionate, and pleasant cats that bond carefully with their human household.
The Balinese’s semi-long coat lies near the pores and skin and has a really slight undercoat. Advantageous and silky in texture, the coat is shortest on the shoulders and longest on the tail, which is a feathery plume. Balinese cats are available in all pointed colours, together with conventional colours (seal, chocolate, blue, and lilac) and non-traditional colours and patterns (crimson, cream, lynx level, and torte level).
#2 Birman
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Birman cats hint their roots again to Burma (at present, Myanmar), the place they had been considered companions to monks in temples. They’re typically known as the Sacred Cat of Burma. Birmans had been standardized in France within the Twenties and later made their technique to the US, the place they rapidly turned a popular breed. Birmans are quiet, light, pleasant, and laid-back pets.
The Birman’s silky coat is semi-long to lengthy with no undercoat. The tail may be very full and fluffy, and male Birmans particularly have a heavy ruff across the neck. Birmans are available in pointed colours and all the time have 4 white paws. They’ve medium to massive, rounded eyes which are all the time blue.
#3 British Longhair
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Most cat aficionados are aware of the British Shorthair, however you won’t know concerning the breed’s long-haired cousin, the British Longhair. Again within the early 1900s, British Shorthairs had been crossed with Persians, introducing the gene for lengthy hair. British Longhairs look and act very like British Shorthairs, however have lengthy hair. They’re barely reserved, particularly with strangers, however affectionate and dedicated to their human household.
The British Longhair’s semi-long coat is wealthy, plush, and thick, with a ruff across the neck and britches (longer hair on the backs of the thighs). In line with the breed commonplace, the hair is so dense that it’s troublesome to see the pores and skin when parting the hair. British Longhairs could be any colour or sample.
#4 Himalayan
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The Himalayan cat is a Persian that comes within the pointed colour sample seen in Siamese cats. The Cat Fanciers Affiliation (CFA) acknowledges the Himalayan as a colour division of the Persian breed. The Worldwide Cat Affiliation (TICA) lists the Himalayan as a separate breed from the Persian. Like Persians, Himalayan are candy, affectionate, light, and quiet.
The Himalayan’s coat is lengthy everywhere in the physique with a really dense undercoat that provides it plenty of quantity. Himalayans have an immense ruff across the neck. The coat could also be any pointed colour (together with crimson, cream, seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, tortoiseshell, and blue-cream) and could also be strong or are available in a pointed sample (corresponding to tortoiseshell, bicolor level, tricolor level, tabby or lynx level, smoke and shaded level).
#5 Maine Coon
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The Maine Coon developed naturally in Maine, the place it developed a rugged coat and physique sort acceptable for the chilly North Jap local weather. They’ve lengthy been prized for his or her vermin-hunting expertise. Maine Coons are one of many largest cat breeds, with males typically tipping the scales at 20 kilos or extra. Maine Coons are laid-back, pleasant, and constant companions.
Maine Coons have shaggy-looking coats with a slight undercoat. The hair on the tail and stomach is lengthy, and Maine Coons have a ruff across the neck and britches on the backs of the thighs. The all-weather coat has a silky texture. Maine Coons are available in a wide range of colours and patterns, however they can’t be chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn, or caramel.
#6 Norwegian Forest Cat
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The Norwegian Forest Cat advanced naturally in Scandinavia many centuries in the past. This breed, which is known as the “Skogkatt” in its fatherland, even voyaged with the Vikings, offering useful vermin management. The Norwegian Forest Cat is calm, loyal, and playful properly into maturity.
The Norwegian Forest Cat’s semi-long, waterproof coat protects these cats from harsh environments. It’s of a dense, wooly undercoat and an extended, coarse, shiny overcoat, with a neck ruff and britches. Norwegian Forest Cats are available in any colour or sample, with or with out white markings.
#7 Oriental Longhair
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The Oriental Longhair is an in depth cousin to the Oriental Shorthair. Each breeds had been created in England shortly after World Battle II when cat breeders had restricted pedigreed cat populations and started experimenting by crossing the breeds they’d obtainable. Similar however for the size of the coat, Oriental Shorthairs and Longhairs are affectionate, energetic, and very people-oriented.
The Oriental Longhair’s coat is semi-long and close-lying to the pores and skin, with a slight undercoat. It has a nice, silky texture. The coat is longest on the tail, the place it varieties a plume. Oriental Longhairs are available in non-pointed colours and patterns, corresponding to strong (black, white, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, caramel, fawn, crimson, cream, and apricot), tortoiseshell, smoke, shaded, or tabby.
#8 Persian
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Ancestors of the Persian cat traced historical roots to Persia (Iran), although the breed was refined in Italy in trendy occasions. The hallmarks of the Persian breed are the very lengthy, thick coat and a spherical, flat face. Persians are exceptionally candy, light, quiet, and loving cats.
The Persian’s coat may be very lengthy everywhere in the physique. A dense undercoat pushes the coat out from the pores and skin, making it look very fluffy and full. Persians have an immense ruff of fur across the subsequent and a really lengthy, fluffy tail. They arrive in many various colours and patterns, together with white, black, crimson, cream, blue, chocolate, lilac, silver, golden, blue-cream, sable, tortoiseshell, bicolor, tricolor (calico), tabby, smoke, shaded, and Himalayan (pointed).
#9 Ragdoll
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Named for its tendency to calm down into your arms and lie there like a ragdoll, the Ragdoll cat was created in California within the Nineteen Sixties utilizing a white longhaired cat named Josephine, a seal level mitted male cat, and some others. Ragdolls thrive on plenty of consideration from their folks. They’re excellent snugglers and lap heaters.
The Ragdoll’s semi-long coat may be very silky and delicate, with minimal undercoat. The coat naturally resists matting, making it straightforward to look after. All Ragdolls are pointed, with lighter-colored our bodies and darker factors of colour on the pinnacle, legs, and tail. Some Radgolls have white markings. Ragdolls all the time have blue eyes, with deeper colour most popular.
#10 Selkirk Rex Longhair
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The Selkirk Rex has a curly coat in contrast to some other within the cat world. A brand new breed, the Selkirk Rex was developed within the Nineteen Eighties when a singular kitten born to a feral mom cat caught the attention of a Persian breeder. This kitten, named Miss DePesto, which had curly whiskers and a wavy coat, went on to turn out to be the inspiration of the breed. The Selkirk Rex is mellow but additionally playful.
The Selkirk Rex is available in two coat sorts: shorthaired and longhaired. The Selkirk Rex Longhair has a dense, delicate, plush, semi-long coat that varieties unfastened, particular person curls. Selkirk Rex are available in all colours and patterns.
#11 Siberian
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The Siberian cat is a pure breed that advanced in Russia with out human intervention as way back as 1000 AD. The breed was exhibited on the first cat exhibits within the late 1800s, however Siberian cats weren’t formally acknowledged in the US till the Nineteen Nineties. Siberians are affectionate, playful, and cuddly.
The coat of the Siberian cat has a function not seen in some other breeds. Quite than a double coat, the Siberian has a triple coat with three distinct layers of hair that preserve the cats heat in winter. Siberians shed a number of their undercoat in summer time. The feel can differ from coarse to delicate, and the coat could be any colour or sample, with or with out white.
#12 Somali
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The Somali cat is actually a longhaired Abyssinian. The breed happened when breeders embraced a recessive gene mutation for lengthy hair that popped up in Abyssinian litters. Somalis look and act the identical as Abyssinians, however have lengthy semi-long hair. Somalis are energetic and playful, and bond tightly with their human households.
The Somali has a delicate, dense, fine-textured double coat coat that varieties a slight ruff across the neck and britches on the backs of the thighs. Like Abyssinians, Somalis have ticked coats within the agoutti sample–every particular person hair is banded alternating rings of sunshine and darkish colour. Somalis are available in ruddy, cinnamon, blue, and fawn (and in some registries, chocolate and lilac).
#13 Turkish Angora
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The Turkish Angora developed a whole bunch of years in the past in Turkey, the place the breed is taken into account a nationwide treasure. By the early 1900s, the breed practically went extinct, nevertheless it was saved because of breeding packages in Turkey, and later, the US. Turkish Angoras are affectionate, loyal, and playful with an endearing impish streak that has some describing them because the feline equal of clowns.
The Turkish Angora’s silky, nice, semi-long coat seems to be single coated, nevertheless it has a slight undercoat. The hair on the abdomen could be considerably wavy. The coat is medium-long on the physique, and the tail has a full plume. Turkish Angoras are available in many colours and patterns, though strong white is maybe essentially the most recognizable.
#14 Turkish Van
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The Turkish Van is believed to have advanced within the mountains of jap Turkey. Vacationers touring in Turkey within the Nineteen Fifties had been captivated by the attractive white cats with coloured markings on their heads and tails. The couple introduced a male and a feminine kitten again to England the place the started a breeding program. The Turkish Van is affectionate and social, with a knack for stepping into issues.
The Turkish Van’s semi-long coat is single with no undercoat. It’s very delicate with a texture like cashmere. Turkish Vans drop a few of their coat in hotter months, so the winter coat is thicker and longer than the summer time coat. The Turkish Van could be strong white or white with the van sample (colour on the pinnacle and tail solely).